


Tough

by kankuwu



Category: Naruto
Genre: kank being the best big brother because he is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-02
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2020-10-05 20:27:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 747
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20494829
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kankuwu/pseuds/kankuwu
Summary: kankurō stops gaara from fighting





	Tough

kankurō had to learn how to have a thick skin. being tough, not showing vulnerability, it wasn’t a skill he was born with. out of his siblings, kankurō would say he was the more sensitive one but even as he advanced as shinobi, it took him a long time to realize how to master the art of not caring. 

kankurō cared about a lot of things deeply. but more than anything, he cared about his family and he cared about protecting them. he was more than aware of the amount of backlash gaara would continue to receive due to his horrific past. and before their bond grew as close as it is now, kankurō thought he could handle watching his brother go through being rejected. 

he couldn’t. 

it was painful. it was frustrating. it was heart-breaking. he, more than anyone, wanted to grab the world by its neck and make it give his brother a chance. but he knew better than anyone that he couldn’t force anyone to love his brother the way he did. so he learned to let go. it took a while, but he learned to let the world be what the world was and as the years went by, kankurō was able to let the attacks on his brother bother him as much as gaara would admit to being bothered. however, it was more than just gaara receiving rejection. 

kankurō and temari both received their own amount of bullying, threats and attacks because of their constant support of their formerly murderous sibling. they were called names, they were kicked out of friend groups, the level of professionalism from their peers began to wain. but for kankurō, this was still easier than watching his brother suffer alone. so he took it in stride. 

even now. 

kankurō was with his brother, walking the perimeter of the village. gaara was just recently announced the prime kazekage candidate over his siblings and the actual inauguration day was approaching. the brothers thought it would be good for gaara to make an appearance around the village; let them know that gaara is no longer a threat to them and that he just wants to help. the reactions were mixed. some were ecstatic. others were harsh. 

at once particular encounter, kankurō and another shinobi got into a argument. the shinobi began to insult gaara to no end and kankurō ( being the protective brother that he is ) stepped in the middle to calm him down. the man then began to direct his threats and insults towards kankurō. this man was admittedly still afraid of gaara but he wasn’t afraid of kankurō and the fight escalated to a more physical one. 

as kankurō was ushering his brother away from the man, trying to get them to move on, kankurō felt a rather large rock hit the side of his head. followed by another and another and another. the shinobi and what the siblings would only assume where his friends, were now berating kankurō with rocks while still insulting gaara. kankurō didn’t fight back. he couldn’t. he was overwhelmed for one, but he also didn’t want to cause gaara to have a bad reputation. he wanted to just walk away and cool down but every attempt at standing was met with another heavy rock to his face. 

blood trickled from his temple as he looked back for gaara but to his surprise, the boy was gone. he looked around through bloodied eyes before turning to face the men again, this time his view obscured by a wall of sand, gaara in front of it. he expected his brother to turn to him, help him up, and have them leave under the cover of his automatic defense, but no. he watched as gaara walked closer and closer to the men. his face was unreadable but the tension in his body, the way he was walking, the clenching of his fist –– kankurō knew he was angry. he bolted up and reached for his brother, grabbing him by the shoulder to stop him from going any further. the men were already running away, insults and petty threats still flying from their lips as their feet carried them as fast as they could. he knew gaara could catch them and he was unsure if his brother would actually try. but he rested his arm across his brother’s shoulder and gave a smile from his battered and bloodied face. 

❝ hey, let’s just take a break and go home. ❞

**Author's Note:**

> i roleplay on tumblr and wrote this drabble on a meme request. liked it so much, thought i'd post it here!


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